Reports are pouring in from all over the web that firmware update 3.56 might be a little more than just a ‘small security update.’ GamersMint is reporting that they have already uncovered some of what 3.56 is really meant to do, or to be more precise, what it’s meant to stop.
They’re saying that firmware 3.56 fixes the ‘ECDSA signature bug’ and renders all the ‘private keys’ that people were using to install custom firmware and go online, useless. In case you’re thinking that it’s possible to just downgrade the firmware to a lower version like before, Sony may have covered that base too.
They went on to say that it is now impossible to downgrade your firmware after you’ve updated to 3.56, without new hardware.
So, assuming that’s true, it seems like the preventative measures are in place, but what about those who have already installed custom firmware and are playing on hacked consoles? Here comes the banhammer. Again, this is all unconfirmed by anyone here at TSA or by Sony themselves, but it looks like Sony now has a way of detecting these consoles when you attempt to access the PlayStation Network or update to 3.56.
Not only is GamersMint reporting that console bans are now in full swing, but a quick trip over to the Call of Duty: Black Ops forums is revealing the same result. There are a ton of posts going up about users being completely banned from the PlayStation Network. Not just their profiles, either, but the entire console. And not just for custom firmware that may or may not just be used for homebrew, but for hacking stats in-game as well.
Now, of course, about 95% of these ban-hammer victims are completely innocent and don’t even know what the word ‘hacked’ means, nor how it could have possibly happened to their console without them knowing, but a few have stepped up and openly discussed their previous mischief.
The main explanation among these folks is that they had a profile on their console that had been used for hacking before now. Multiple users have reported that it wasn’t even the hacked profile they were signing in with when they were banned. It seems if your console has ever been used to hack and/or mod within a game, regardless of what profile was used when doing it, you may be the recipient of a console ban.
Of course, there are also sites out there claiming that 3.56 has already been hacked and that they’re already back up and running on the PlayStation Network, but you should take that with the exact same grain of salt as everything else in this article.
To clarify one more time, this all stems from rumour and unconfirmed reports. No one here at TSA has any first hand knowledge of what has happened, nor has Sony confirmed that a mass ban has taken place. This will likely be a hot topic over the next few days and more information is sure to filter in, so stay tuned.
Source: GamersMint – Black Ops forums
DrNate86
This is likely to strike quite a blow against the casual hacker, I imagine people will think twice now before experimenting. I doubt it will stop the hardcore hackers, but I doubt many of them were foolish enough to go online in the first place. Still, nice to see a strong reaction, hacking had started to affect normal users now which was unacceptable.
gernboes
i just had a thought…
ýou know what i would do if my console would get banned? i´d trade it in for a new one. shouldnt be a problem, because the stores only have a look if it works, not if you can sign in. so whoever buys the used console will nevver be able to go online, right?
not saying sony shouldnt do that, im all for it… just saying buying a used console is riskier than ever now… even a week old one (where you can be pretty sure that it hasnt had YLOD) could now be essentially useless(well, not useless, but you know waht im saying…)
Awayze
Game, Gamestation here in Manchester don’t check if consoles work or not, they take it out of the box and see the condition and then give you a price for it.
My friend traded in his YLOD PS3 and he had taken the warranty sticker off, GAME didn’t realize and let him trade it in for a PS3 Slim :/
jayjay119
They wouldn’t need to go online to check. If this is true, it’s a big thing and I’m sure they will just introduce a firmware validation check before they agree to take your console for trade in and if you are running customised firware they just wont take it. And maybe report you.
DrNate86
I’m sure it will happen, just like when people trade in near-death consoles. It’s the shops that lose out, as if you get your new second-hand console home and find it doesn’t work they have to replace or refund it. So the shops just need to be more vigilant when accepting tradeins if it becomes a problem.
teflon
I expect Sony will have told retailers to be aware of this, and they’ll go with more stringent tests for the next few months.
If not, I’m sure the retailers can figure it out for themselves.
gernboes
They could do this, sure. Still leaves the odd soccer-mom who buys a used PS3 off of ebay or from an ad in the paper or some site where you can buy/sell used stuff. without a store to do a check…
again, i think sony should ban every hacker they find, but im sure there will be some innocent victims of this (to be precise, victims of the hackers who knowingly sell “defunct” PS3s to some poor sucker…)
You and I and everybody here on this site probably knows better than to buy a used PS3, especially from a private person. But there enough people out there who havent got a clue about this stuff.
rht992
that is a little worrying :/ hopefully they know of this and will actually do a proper check up
Tuffcub
Good.
andytorr
Send them a pint of poison to drink, too! :D
noem71
It’s all well. When upgrading your harddrive with 3.56 you will fail…
http://www.community.eu.playstation.com/t5/Technical-Support-Help-Advice/bd-p/bANZ_announcements_help
noem71
It’s not all well it should be ;).
RedStarGlow
Doesn’t the upgrade process drop you back to an old OS and then DL the update? If 3.56 stops you from using a previous OS, I would say Sony has a QA problem to fix. Make me wonder if I should drop a new drive in before going to 3.56.
jayjay119
and a black mamba!
Grey_Ghost13
If this is true, I wouldn’t mind a small weekly update to combat it!
Grey_Ghost13
*I meant to combat the hackers*
jayjay119
yeahhhhhhh… I’m onto you sonny!
SpikeyMikey23
especially if its auto-download like ps+, that would be nice.
Charmed_Fanatic
Sounds too aggressive, as said above, some people may be innocent. Although it is a great start at getting rid of those hackers.
Joe
lol lol lol lol.
that is all.
Wing-Sabre
Should just include a cpu stressing tool and a fan deactivation program , if someone is caught hacking the program runs and the hackers get a ylod for their trouble :)
Bilbo_bobbins
excellent, I hope this is true.
bunimomike
A mate of mine has already succumbed to hackers. They started a game where every gun had just one bullet in it (for their side) and they were stripped of all their prestige/achievements. Weeks and months of effort gone. I’m trying to find more news about this from said friend.
Gutting for committed online players. :-(
SpikeyMikey23
Thats why I wont touch MW2 again. Not that they are the best but I worked hard for my K/D ratio, My accuarcy and my win loss ration, no way some twat is deleting them.
gernboes
i dont really understand what your saying…
was your friend hacking? or was somebody else hacking? how did he loose progress if he wasnt hacking himself?
jcor
Because the hackers can also re-set anyone’s stats. His mate wasn’t actually hacking himself.
I’ve encountered tonnes of hackers but thankfully none of the f*ckers have messed with my stats yet. Touch wood!
gernboes
really? i thought they could only get themselves some unfair advantage, not mess with your stats too…
im more of a single-player guy and i never play CoD online, so i have no clue about those things (thankfully)